Sasha Pavlovic

Anyway you slice it, Kevin Durant is doing a lot for the Thunder. Traditional stats say Durant is averaging 34.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals in 44.3 minutes per game since Russell Westbrook’s injury. Advanced stats say Durant has 2.2 win shares for a team that has won five playoff games, which means…

We don’t really think of Kevin Durant as a skilled ball-handler, specifically. He’s certainly one of the smoothest scorers in the game, and can explode to the rim for a dunk in traffic just as easily as he can pull up for a quick-release three-pointer from distance. Maybe this play will help get Durant’s handles…

We told you a couple days ago that Boston had reached a sign-and-trade deal to get Courtney Lee from the Rockets — and that is a beautiful fit for Boston. They get a guy who can defend on the perimeter, knock down threes and come off the bench. A defensively better version of Ray Allen.…

The Atlanta Hawks looked like a solid basketball team for about 35 minutes of Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics, the team in danger of falling behind 2-0 in the seven-game series when they were forced to play without their starting backcourt. The Celtics looked like they’d return to Boston in a hole after…

What you missed while thinking that if this cow tells the others what is going on at McDonald’s there is going to be a revolt…. Jazz 100, Suns 87: And the Jazz are in the playoffs while the Suns can start worrying about where Steve Nash will play next season. Our man Brett Pollakoff broke…

The play for the first three quarters of this season confirmed the conventional wisdom going in — the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls were the class of the East, everybody else was a couple of steps back. But in the past 10 days, the Boston Celtics have thumped the Heat twice. And although the Bulls…

Miami looked dominant on opening day. They came into the season trying to unbalance a defense with speed and aggressiveness, and it worked on Dallas — Miami had 100 possessions, nine more than they averaged last season. But Boston is a better defensive squad and should prove an interesting preseason test. The two teams meet…

Beating the Miami Heat is a challenge anyway, but Boston is going to have to do it without Paul Pierce on Tuesday night. Doc Rivers confirmed that, reports A. Sherrod Blakely at CSNNE.com. That means Sasha Pavlovic gets the start and Marquis Daniels will get a lot of run. Pavlovic talked about getting to guard…

New name, same drill. This is our morning look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT). Washington Wizards fans booed Kris Humphries all night long Monday. Well done, Washingtonians. Way to side with the woman who became…

The Boston Celtics will tip off the NBA season with the New York Knicks at noon Chrstmas day, and they may also have the first major player to miss games due to injury for the season. Paul Pierce is in New York with the Celtics but whether he plays is a game-time decision due to…

We’re a long way away from the Chicken Little “the sky is falling” predictions about the Celtics season coming true, but this isn’t a good start. Paul Pierce didn’t practice on Friday and Doc Rivers sounded less than optimistic he would be able to go in the Celtics season opener Sunday against the Knicks, reports…

Our morning look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT). Free Darko’s Bethlehem Shoals is blogging the NBA season over at GQ. I know that mag is your browser home page anyway, but be sure to check…

Paul Pierce has a right heel injury, one that will keep him out of Wednesday’s preseason game against the Raptors. But a veteran missing a preseason game is not going to turn any heads. But him missing the season opener against the Knicks would. It is possible, the Celtics are admitting. Here are the cryptic…

What really matters in all of this is that Jeff Green will be fine and next season will return to the NBA. That is what is important. But Green being out for the entire NBA season following heart surgery leaves the Boston Celtics in a bind. Green was key to their chances this season —…

We thought things didn’t sound good, and they are not for the Celtics. Jeff Green — expected to be Boston’s sixth man — will miss the entire season after surgery to fix an aortic aneurysm, the Celtics announced on Saturday. The important thing is that Green is expected to make a full recovery. This can…

Our morning look around the NBA with stories worth reading and notes that are not their own post here at PBT. The 50 worst haircuts in NBA history. Vladimir Radmanovic is way too low at No. 12. Despite the reports to the contrary, the Nets do not have a deadline to get Dwight Howard or…

UPDATE (5:27 PM EST): Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that the Mavericks have received a verbal commitment from Peja Stojakovic, who was just waived by the Toronto Raptors this afternoon, to join the team. That’s not a rosy development for Pavlovic, who will almost surely be released at the conclusion of his second 10-day contract.…

The Dallas Mavericks have signed former Cavaliers and Timberwolves swingman Sasha Pavlovic to a 10-day contract. The 27-year old Pavlovic was a crucial part of the Cavaliers’ starting lineup when the team went to the finals in 2007, but he missed the first part of the 07-08 season due to a contract dispute and his…